2019 AWARD RECIPIENTS The 2019 Distinguished Graduate Award medal ceremony marks the 21st year of honoring and celebrating the lives of alumni through the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Award program. Each year, distinguished graduates are honored because of their demonstrated and unselfish commitment to a lifetime of service, their personal character and the significant contributions they have made to the Navy and Marine Corps or as leaders in industry or government. They are the living embodiment of the Academy’s mission to develop leaders to “assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.” We honor these five individualsU.S. forNAVAL the principles ACADEMY they stand ALUMNI for—today ASSOCIATION and always. DISTINGUISHEDDr. J. Phillip London ’59 GRADUATE AdmiralAWARD Robert J. Natter MEDAL ’67, USN (Ret.) CEREMONY Colonel Walter P. Havenstein ’71, USMCR (Ret.) Admiral Robert F. Willard ’73, USN (Ret.)2019 Captain Wendy B. Lawrence ’81, USN (Ret.) DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE AWARD SELECTION PANEL Distinguished Graduate Award Selection Panel Chairman Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert ’75, USN (Ret.) U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation President and CEO Mr. Byron F. Marchant ’78 Panel Members Admiral Timothy Keating ’71, USN (Ret.); General John R. Allen ’76, USMC (Ret.); Admiral Samuel J. Locklear ’77, USN (Ret.); Vice Admiral Bruce Grooms ’80, USN (Ret.); Vice Admiral Walter E. “Ted” Carter ’81, USN; Ms. Greer Lautrup ’85; Captain Karin Vernazza ’90, USN (Ret.); and Major Murph McCarthy ’00, USMC (Ret.) 22 March Alumni Hall U.S. Naval Academy 1 2019 AWARD RECIPIENTS The 2019 Distinguished Graduate Award medal ceremony marks the 21st year of honoring and celebrating the lives of alumni through the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Award program. Each year, distinguished graduates are honored because of their demonstrated and unselfish commitment to a lifetime of service, their personal character and the significant contributions they have made to the Navy and Marine Corps or as leaders in industry or government. They are the living embodiment of the Academy’s mission to develop leaders to “assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship and government.” We honor these five individuals for the principles they stand for—today and always. Dr. J. Phillip London ’59 Admiral Robert J. Natter ’67, USN (Ret.) Colonel Walter P. Havenstein ’71, USMCR (Ret.) Admiral Robert F. Willard ’73, USN (Ret.) Captain Wendy B. Lawrence ’81, USN (Ret.) DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE AWARD SELECTION PANEL Distinguished Graduate Award Selection Panel Chairman Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert ’75, USN (Ret.) U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and Foundation President and CEO Mr. Byron F. Marchant ’78 Panel Members Admiral Timothy Keating ’71, USN (Ret.); General John R. Allen ’76, USMC (Ret.); Admiral Samuel J. Locklear ’77, USN (Ret.); Vice Admiral Bruce Grooms ’80, USN (Ret.); Vice Admiral Walter E. “Ted” Carter ’81, USN; Ms. Greer Lautrup ’85; Captain Karin Vernazza ’90, USN (Ret.); and Major Murph McCarthy ’00, USMC (Ret.) 1 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN Welcome to the 2019 United States Naval Academy Distinguished Graduate Award Ceremony. To this year’s awardees: congratulations and thank you for your dedicated service, both in and out of uniform. Your energy, passion and devotion to your vocations have made an incredible difference. We are especially grateful to your families, who served with you and continue to support you. Selecting today’s honorees from a field of accomplished alumni was both challenging and humbling. There are many accomplished graduates who deserve recognition. While each path was different, all of today’s honorees began their careers of service right here. This great institution continues to serve as the foundation of service, leadership and character that has put our honorees on their journey to success. Being here with these distinguished graduates, and with you future distinguished graduates in the audience, is especially meaningful. My sincere thanks to the selection panel and to the DGA staff for planning and executing today’s ceremony. To the Brigade, our alumni and guests: thank you for joining us for this special event as we celebrate the extraordinary careers of our fellow graduates. Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert ’75, USN (Ret.) Chairman, U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Award Selection Panel 2 PROGRAM Introduction of the 2019 Distinguished Graduates Narrator Midshipman Isaac Phillips ’19 President, Class of 2019 Invocation Captain Francis P. Foley, CHC, USN Command Chaplain The National Anthem Welcome and Remarks Vice Admiral Walter E. “Ted” Carter Jr. ’81, USN Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy Presentation of Distinguished Graduate Award Medals Vice Admiral Walter E. “Ted” Carter Jr. ’81, USN Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert ’75, USN (Ret.) Chairman, U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Award Selection Panel and Midshipman Lauren G. O’Malley ’19 Brigade Commander Remarks Distinguished Graduate Award Recipients “Navy Blue & Gold” Departure of the Official Party 3 DR. J. PHILLIP LONDON ’59 Dr. J. Phillip “Jack” London ’59 was born and raised in Oklahoma City, OK, the descendant of colonial pioneers and prairie farmers. Inspired by his family’s military service and a friend’s midshipman brother, he went to Annapolis, where he was the 15th Company Commander. Following graduation, he trained in Pensacola, FL, as a naval aviator and later served as an anti-submarine warfare helicopter pilot, including in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. He was with the recovery team aboard RANDOLPH for John Glenn’s space flight on Freedom 7 in 1962. After earning a master’s degree at the Naval Postgraduate School, Dr. London taught naval strategy at the Academy, then served as aide to Admiral Jack Arnold, USN, at Naval Material Command. In 1971, he left active duty and received a doctorate in business administration from George Washington University. He joined the Navy Reserve as an aeronautical engineering duty officer and commanded the Naval Air Systems Command reserve unit, retiring at the rank of captain in 1983. Known as the founder of the modern-era CACI, London joined the company in 1972 as Employee 35. He served as president and chief executive officer from 1984 to 2007. In 1990 he was elected chairman of the board and has served as executive chairman since 2007. In this role, he oversees strategic initiatives and transactions, including CACI’s mergers and acquisitions program that he started in 1992. In 46 years of senior entrepreneurial leadership, he has built CACI into a trusted government partner, providing advanced IT systems for national security missions, electronic warfare and cyber security. Today CACI is a $5 billion NYSE company with 21,000 professionals in more than 130 locations worldwide, 38 percent of whom are veterans and reservists. The Ethisphere Institute named Dr. London, a recognized authority on organizational ethics, as one of the most influential people in business ethics in 2014. In support of the Academy, London conceived the Naval Historical Foundation’s Superintendent’s Annual Leadership and Vision Award: Voices of Maritime History Competition. He established a midshipman cybersecurity internship program at CACI and the Capt. J. Phillip London, USN (Ret.), ’59 Cyber Security Studies Award and the Capt. Samuel Nicholson Naval and Marine Corps History and Leadership Award. A major 4 donor and fundraiser for Naval Academy Class of 1959 gifts, Dr. London has personally supported the creation of electronic warfare research laboratories for the Academy’s Hopper Hall building. Dr. London was inducted into the Halls of Fame for the Naval Postgraduate School, Washington Business Chamber and Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards. His other recognitions include the Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Award (Navy League), Admiral of the Navy George Dewey Award (Naval Order), Semper Fidelis Award (Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation), Distinguished Service Award (Naval Historical Foundation) and the Meritorious Citation (Navy League). Dr. London has also served on the boards of the Navy Memorial Foundation, Naval Historical Foundation, Naval Institute, Navy League, Friends of the National World War II Memorial and Comfort for America’s Uniformed Services. Dr. London is the author of Character: The Ultimate Success Factor and Our Good Name. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, Dr. Jennifer London, and their three sons, and close to his two adult children and six grandchildren. “Jack is a giant as an American patriot … Jack is refined, intelligent, knowledgeable, courteous to all, productive and exceptionally loyal to the Navy and his nation. A midshipman listening to Jack speak would say to him or herself ‘I want to model my life and career just like Jack London’s.’” —Rear Admiral Robert Shumaker ’56, USN (Ret.) Hanoi Hilton Prisoner of War and Former Naval Postgraduate School Superintendent 2011 Distinguished Graduate Award Recipient 5 ADMIRAL ROBERT J. NATTER ’67, USN (RET.) Born in Trussville, AL, Admiral Robert J. Natter ’67, USN, (Ret.), grew up in a family with a profound commitment to military service. All six of his brothers served in uniform, while his two sisters married servicemen. Admiral Natter enlisted in the Naval Reserve at 17 and attended bootcamp before following two older brothers to the Naval Academy. He saw continuous duty in operations in the rivers and coastal waters off Vietnam as executive officer of CADDO PARISH and IREDELL COUNTY. After three years and long overdue for shore duty, Admiral Natter became officer in charge of a SEAL boat support detachment in the lower Mekong Delta. Three months in, the small craft was caught in a Viet Cong ambush and all aboard were killed or wounded. Seriously injured, Admiral Natter swam ashore and then back with one other crewman, directing suppressing fire to bring the damaged boat through a hail of enemy fire. For that action he was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart medals.